As I mentioned, Greg worked tirelessly to get The Van ready to go for our trip to Penticton, BC for Ironman Canada. He comes home from his day job and goes immediately to work in the driveway. He has a vision of what he wants and sets out making it into reality. A few of these ideas have been “fine” for a first attempt, but we are on v2.0 with several things.

I have been pleasantly surprised with all of the seemingly minor things he is doing that really make traveling in The Van more comfortable. Here are a few of the things he has been working on:

Bed 2.0: The original bed setup was kind of an “accordion” mechanism that folded into itself above the cockpit. This meant we were sleeping on camping-style sleeping pads and it was a real hassle to set it up and take it down. He upgraded the sleeping quarters to a much more comfortable solution, complete with a custom-cut 6″ memory foam mattress. It stays intact and half of the bed slides out on tracks to make it the full length. He even installed a “pull-up bar” to make it easier to get into and out of. Luckily we are fit people. Maneuvering in this van takes a fair amount of athletic ability in itself…

Cabinets 2.0: He installed the cabinets a few months ago using pre-fab frames and custom-built interiors and doors. They look sleek and are very functional — they open up and stay open, and they lock shut. He recently upgraded them so that the ones on the right side extend all the way to the back wall. This added more storage space and cleaned up the space above the countertop/stove. He also installed three electrical outlets, perfect for charging devices and powering the immersion blender for smoothies.

CABINETS - BEFORE

CABINETS - AFTER

Toilet 2.0: He upgraded the toilet to a compost model. The clean-up is MUCH better. I’m taking his word for that one… I’ve (luckily) never had to do it.

Skylight 2.0: He added a wind deflector to the skylight to help with noise and aerodynamics. It also improves the look of things up there.

Sink/Stove/Fridge: We have running water in the sink thanks to a 26-gallon tank + on-demand pump housed under the van. The two-burner stove runs on propane, which is housed in a nifty little box he designed as part of the countertop system. The fridge is probably my favorite feature of the van. It locks into place under the countertop when not in use, then slides out and opens like a chest cooler.

Roof Rack: He designed, built, and installed a roof rack to accommodate for extra storage. Since we are transporting a third bike for Kidder to use at the race, he also attached a fork mount on the rack. Not only is it functional, it looks pretty bad ass with all three bikes on board.

Nav/Media Center: He designed and built this tablet holder + phone mount to have his music and navigation tools at his fingertips. The audio system is set up for Bluetooth integration, so the phone can be streaming Pandora or playing his personal music through the stereo speakers while the tablet is navigating. Pretty handy.

It was a 23-hour trip to Penticton from San Mateo (longer than anticipated because of swim breaks for Miles and because we drove 130 miles out of our way. I’ll save that story for another time…). The Van performed flawlessly and made it pretty enjoyable. When we got hungry, I’d make my way to the back to fix sandwiches or grab a beverage. We rolled into a campsite on Diamond Lake Wednesday night at 8 PM, I heated up dinner in about 10 minutes, and we slept under the stars (under the skylight) until 6 AM the following morning. It took about 30 minutes to put everything back together and we were on the road again.

So, what else is new in the van? Pretty much everything. Greg figures out what he wants to accomplish, does his research on the Sprinter van foums, writes out all his plans/diagrams/sketches, procures the supplies, and begins work. Midway through, he figures out a better way to do it and starts over. Doesn’t that sound rewarding?

The skylight is no different, but he hasn’t started over… yet. This took too much time (and money) for him to scrap it. And honestly, it’s pretty much awesome so we should enjoy it for awhile.

But before he could sound-proof it and do all the finish work, he had to build the skylight. You can see here where he’s left a space to cut it out:

Greg designed the skylight, then welded together the frame and figured out how all the hydraulics will work (WAIT FOR IT). He had the Plexiglass custom-cut for the job.

And then he checked his plans a bazillion times. And then he measured. And measured again. And measured again, just for good measure (<— I’m funny!). And then he cut a hole in the fiberglass top.

Gearing up to cut

First cuts

He installed the frame that he designed and welded.

And then installed the final piece of “bubbled” Plexiglass.

Meanwhile, he was upholstering the entire topper area to make it nice and cozy.

The man is nothing if not detail-oriented. He stands 6’3″ and spent many, many hours in that sleeping cubby making things perfect. Here’s how it looks when the bed is folded up:

And here’s our view from the first night we slept up there (on our way to Tahoe one weekend):

Pretty great, right? It really is quite comfortable. I did hit my head on the hydraulic arms in the night a time or two, but it only hurt a little. And honestly, when you have something as awesome as this, who cares about a bump on the head?

For the utmost convenience, the skylight works with a remote control. Although it’s a little loud (he has a replacement in the works, naturally), it really is a great solution to add a little light and keep the air moving in the back of the van.

Stay tuned for all he’s done to enhance the interior. So many amenities, we are considering selling our house! (I kid… kind of)

It has been EIGHT DAYS since there has been any progress on Project Door Handle Replacement.

I ask every day if the project is at a place where I can finish it. A spark of recognition lights in Greg’s eyes (“Oh yeah, I need to finish that.”), and then he assures me he’ll get to it. His priority is the van. Sure, the van project is sexier than the door handle project… but is also going to take 174 times longer to complete.

Beyond the electrical work that went with the audio system upgrades, Greg pulled out the big guns to fix the heating systems in the van. Cold weather camping, here we come!

AUXILIARY HEATERThe next project was to engineer a more effective auxiliary heat system. But first, some context.

The van has two heat systems on-board:

Residual air heat system: This system draws heat from the engine to heat the interior of the van, even while the engine is off.

Auxiliary heater: Engages the auxiliary heater unit, auxiliary water pump, and fan to heat the interior of the van AND the engine — even while the engine is off.

The purpose of Greg’s project was to be able to heat the interior of the van and heat the engine without the key being in the Run position. Pre-heating is particularly important for a diesel engine in cold weather. How does it work? With the engine off, push the button –> water pump runs, heater turns on, fan runs. This is ideal for us since we’re planning to sleep in the van, often in cold/winter conditions.

The button for the residual air heat system was there and was working, but was ineffective because the auxiliary water pump (an electric pump that runs in concert with the other one to assist in distributing the fluid throughout the whole coolant system) was barely turning. To remedy this, he replaced the water pump. More engine work!

Then he took the switch panel out and brought it inside. Greg went to work wiring in relays that would send the signals to the proper places, even with the engine off. The van was not wired up for this prior, even though it was an option. There is a Mercedes-Benz technical bulletin that goes through this option, so Greg put his know-how to use.

Unrelated to the on-board systems, Greg is also working on a third heat source. This is a portable propane heater that he is rigging to make it safe for indoor use. It will hook directly into the on-board propane tank that will be stored on the under side of the van, similar to the way VW buses/vans are. He is planning to wire in the thermostat, giving us the ability to turn it on and off from inside the van. The particulars of this are not entirely figured out yet…

Practically speaking, if we are camping in Tahoe in the winter, we will use the propane heater to heat our living quarters overnight, then turn on the auxiliary heater in the morning to preheat the engine. Lots of options!

We are on the cusp of some big changes. STRUCTURAL CHANGES. In the meantime, Greg has been working on small projects to pass the time. Thank goodness I’m so secure in myself and our relationship that I am not upset about him coming home from work and immediately going to the garage until he’s called for dinner. Then going back out to the garage until he stumbles to bed, exhausted and smelling of auto parts.

Secure = I also like my own space. And my own TV shows.

What has he been working on?

There has been additional soundproofing. Greg removed the hood and worked his magic by applying a sound absorption foam (0.5″ thick) to reduce engine noise:

Sprinter Van Hood - As Is

Sprinter Van Hood - Protection Removed

Applying Soundproofing

Soundproofing Finished

Ready To Re-install

While the hood was off, he took it upon himself to become acquainted with the engine compartment. Note his care for the landscaping…

A critical project was to replace the hoses responsible for the turbo air circuit. These were leaking and he was able to fix the problem. The good news was that everything else looked to be in good condition, and he has familiarized himself with the lay of the land.

He also did his first oil and transmission fluid changes:

I hope his next project is to fix the door to the garage, which is being supported by that car jack and a 2×4…

Yep, Greg has been coveting others’ Sprinter Vans for several years now and he finally found one that met all his needs (including price — and they ain’t cheap no matter how you look at it). He has been doing a nationwide search of eBay and Craigslist for over a year and was lucky enough to find this one just outside of Sacramento.

I got to take ‘er out for a very short joy ride last week! My car is a VW Cabrio so Greg predicted that it would take me a few backs-and-forths to get it out of our tight driveway, but I did it the first time! Not wanting to risk the van or my car or our neighbors’ cars, I didn’t even attempt getting it back into our driveway and opted to park it a half-block away on a long stretch of curb.

This year’s winter project is to transform this box of tin into “Base Camp.” G has very detailed plans (his Visio diagrams are password-protected) that will pimp this ride into mobile living quarters.

Admittedly, I was reluctant at first. My only experience with a “recreational vehicle” is the 35-foot luxury behemoth his parents own that seems entirely excessive for our needs. Are we really going to be a three-car family? (answer: not for long, I should prepare to part with the Cabrio) Where will we park it? (answer: thank goodness for a 70-foot long driveway) What kind of mileage does it get? (answer: 21-23 mpg, and it’s diesel so we can use biofuel)

Once Greg showed me his grand plans and expertly explained all of its customized features, I was sold. We really cringe at spending money on hotels when traveling to races or when camping isn’t an option. DISCLAIMER: we do take hotel-based vacations, too. I love a road trip and there’s a certain amount of freedom by traveling with everything we need. Greg did a great job with the Element (remember the Death Ride?), so I am confident that this will be even better –AND this will accommodate a couple of additional passengers as well.

I’ll keep you updated as we go. This promises to be a fun process to watch!